I'm not the most outwardly patriotic dude in the room. Don't get me wrong, my love for this country is intense, but it revolves more around intricacies, subtleties and diversities in government, sports, relationships and conversation and not so much on chest-thumping, brash, in-your-face proclamations of superiority.
I get it, and I'm not saying a little woofing about the stars and stripes or the occasional, ""America, Fuck yeah!"" is a bad thing—not at all, I'm just saying that's not how I usually go about it.
Sunday night, though, when the Twitter universe exploded with news that Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. troops, the sheer, unbridled emotion on display in places like Ground Zero, the White House gates and Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, where fans started a spontaneous chant of ""USA! USA! USA!"" sort of got the best of me as well.
With a couple days to reflect, I'm not even sure it was for the obvious reasons. Yes, it was a tremendous effort by U.S. forces and it just might stand as the symbolic closing point to the worst act against American civilians on American soil. Even more, though, it brought people together.
The interesting thing is that the only other time it seems like we can get past partisanship and divisiveness these days is through sports. I noticed a strange similarity between the way I sit on the couch with my roommates and watch the Packers and the way we took in the news coverage Sunday evening. It's not too often the news is on and we're all cheering for the same side.
Now, I am not in any way drawing any sort of similarities between the importance of sport and the importance of national security. Not even close. But I do think sports can provide a fascinating look at how American exceptionalism is played out in a sort of idealistic setting.
You can see the way people come together and cheer for the U.S. in the Olympics. With all do respect to the athletes that spend their lives training to make the summer or winter games, the vast majority of events are in fields most Americans don't generally care about. Even so, it's not likely you're going to cheer for the big Swiss guy to win the discus. It's not that easy to pick sides in politics because winners and losers aren't usually so obvious.
A little closer to home, think about popularity from sport to sport in the U.S.
The vast majority of Americans put football, basketball and baseball—in no particular order—above all else. It makes sense because those three sports originated in America. Don't try to convince me you don't like soccer because it's boring or because players dive. Have you watched basketball? Those guys flop and complain to refs just like Cristiano Ronaldo does. And if you think soccer is boring, don't try to tell me baseball holds your attention for three hours.
Part of it, of course, is that football, baseball and basketball have been staples here longer than other sports. However, I would bet part of the reason soccer and hockey have had such a tough time holding the attention span of people here is because they're competing for prominence in America with inherently American sports.
Here's the thing about exceptionalism that I don't think some people get—both in regards to sports and politics. Exceptionalism isn't about being better than somebody else. The first Europeans didn't come to America because it was better, they came because it was different. They came because they had the chance to mold a society to their liking. It's the same with sports. We don't prefer football because it's objectively better than soccer. We like it because we started it and over the years we've transformed it into a game that we continue to enjoy.
I've come to realize that a big part of the reason I enjoy watching, talking and covering sports is because it lends itself to some common ground in a day in age where we look to turn the most innocent conversations into rhetorical bullshit.
That's what was so amazing about Sunday night. On the most important stage in the world, with ramifications no contest, match, round or game could ever come close to, the raid in Abbottabad, Pakistan boiled down to a beautiful simplicity generally applicable only in casual competition.
The good guys beat the bad guys.
How did you react upon hearing the news of Osama bin Laden's death? What role do you think sports play in this country? Why do you refuse to turn on a hockey game during the most exciting playoff season in all of sports? E-mail Parker at pjgabriel@dailycardinal.com
